Sins of the past
by Stand with Ward and Queen
Summary: Sequel to 'Ghosts of the past.' As our heroes mourn Peyton's death, Damon begins to suspect that Julian wasn't responsible. as he enlists Elena and Enzo in his quest for answers, Stefan harbors a secret that could tear his family apart. Finally, the man in the coffin walks among them. As past secrets come to light, Damon prepares to face the most powerful Witch to ever live.


**Disclaimer: So, here is the sequel to** _ **Ghosts of the past.**_ **I have a feeling I probably lost some you with last chapter, so thanks to those who will stick with me. As, as usual, I own nothing except Luna and Anna—Marie Salvatore.**

Damon and Alaric's apartment, January 17th, 2013

7:47 P.M.

Seventeen days. It seemed like a short time until one really began to think about it. It had been seventeen days, four hundred and eight hours, twenty-four thousand four hundred and eighty minutes since Damon had discovered Peyton's body. It had been a week since the funeral of a woman who had touched so many lives in such a short amount of time. Klaus had arranged for Larry and the Scotts to fly in before he and Rebekah had returned to New Orleans. After the funeral, none of the humans had seen any point in going back into hiding now that Peyton was dead. Since the day Peyton died, a cloud of darkness had seemed to settle over everyone.

However, even the darkest shadow had light somewhere. And in the room that Damon and Alaric had decorated shortly after Damon had moved in, Elena was holding that light as she rocked back forth in the rocking chair.

"Once upon a time, there lived a dark knight who wandered the land lost and alone until one day; he found love in the Queen of light. One day, the Knight and the Queen were blessed with a beautiful daughter for whom they wished only happiness," Elena smiled down at the baby as Anna cooed up at her softly, "But not all was well: there was an evil Sorcerer who wished to destroy everything the knight held dear. The Sorcerer had many followers that he controlled with fear that he used to attack the Knight's loved ones. Just when the Knight believed he had won, the Queen was lost. So, lost in his grief, the Knight turned to magic potions to numb his pain as he turned away from all those who wished to help him. Happily ever after it wasn't, but there is always another chapter to be told my little Princess."

Elena glanced down to see that the youngest Salvatore had fallen asleep during the story. Smiling softly at her boyfriend's daughter, Elena stood up with Anna in her arms and walked over to Anna's crib and gently placed the young Hybrid inside and covered her up with the pink blanket. Smiling at the sleeping infant, Elena turned out the lights as she exited the nursery.

Bar where Stefan works, January 18th

9:45 A.M.

Stefan walked in, having received a call from Owen thirty minutes ago. Seeing Damon passed out at the bar, Stefan nodded his thanks at Owen as he passed him on his way to the bar. Seeing Damon in this state only made Stefan's guilt rise, but Stefan attempted to push that aside. Once he reached the bar, Damon lifted his head up and stared at his younger brother with bagged, bloodshot eyes. There was that guilt again.

"How long have you been here Damon?" Stefan asked not sure he wanted to know.

"I don't know. I snuck in here after you guys closed," Damon admitted as he attempted to take a drink for his glass but Stefan snatched it out of his hand before Damon could blink, "that wasn't nice Stef."

"Well, I've been too nice Damon. You've been on this bender for almost three weeks and it has to stop. This isn't just about you anymore Damon, you have a daughter to think about now." Stefan told Damon but this just seemed to make Damon angry.

"I haven't stopped thinking about her," Damon growled as he stood up from the bar stool and faced Stefan, "haven't stopped thinking about how, when she's old enough, what I'm supposed to tell her when she asks where her mother is. Haven't stopped thinking about how Julian is still out there after he had her killed. I may be on a bender, but those thoughts never go away."

"Damon," Stefan swallowed the lump in his throat as the guilt grew stronger, "I understand-"

"No, you don't, you never did! You have always complained about how hard your life as a Vampire is, but you've had a pretty great life compared to most," Damon growled as he glowered at Stefan, "you whine about killing our father, well every time I took the blame for you and Luna, he beat me so bad that I couldn't even stand the next day. You are angry at me for killing Lexi; I had to watch as Alaric died in my arms knowing that Elena was dying because of you. You said that Elena ripped out your heart by falling out of love with you and in love with me; Katherine never loved me it was always you. You think it was bad spending three months in a safe drowning; I spent five years being tortured by a group of human scientists. You spent four months thinking I was dead; well I spent over a century feeling like you didn't care whether I lived or died. You may know pain but you do not know suffering. You have no idea wht I am going through little brother."

Having said his piece, Damon grabbed his jacket and walked out of the bar. Stefan did not go after him, knowing that he could not convince Damon to listen to him. More than that, he felt that Damon was right. There was no way he could understand what his brother was going through. Also, he didn't deserve to be the one to help him.

"Coward." Peyton Sawyer's voice spoke up from behind him.

Shocked, Stefan turned around to see no one there.

Outside, Damon hoped inside the comet and drove off. He was driving way over the speed limit but he didn't care. As he drove, memories of times passed flashed before him like ghosts.

" _You're a fighter aren't ya? You've impressed me so I'm going to let you live." Damon told Peyton the first time they met._

" _Is this guy bothering you?" Damon asked Peyton ignoring Julian glaring at him._

" _Well then Damon Salvatore, will you go on a date with me?" Peyton asked him coyly as they sat in Karen's Café._

" _I'd be delighted to go on a date with you Peyton Sawyer." Damon told her with a smirk._

" _I love you." Damon told her as they danced together with her arms around his neck and his around her waist._

" _I love you to." Peyton said breathlessly before pulling him into a kiss._

" _For a long I time, I just existed in this crazy world…until I met you," Damon told Peyton earnestly as they stood before Luna at the altar, him in a tux and her in a wedding dress, with Brooke and Nathan at their sides, "My life was dull and lifeless until you came along, lighting up my world the way a comet lights up the sky. If you'll have me, I will make it so that never doubt that you have someone by your side as you go through life, you will never have to feel as though you can't do something, You will never have to feel alone again, Peyton Sawyer."_

" _Until I met you, I never thought I could let go of my first love, Lucas Scott," Peyton began with a voice cracking with emotion, "You brought me back to life; you showed me how to love again, that I could love again, that I could love someone the way I had loved Lucas, that I could love you. You showed me that I was missing out on my life, that I was letting the world pass me by. I will never let you forget how much you are loved, Damon Salvatore."_

" _So what do you think?" Damon asked his wife as she looked around their new home._

" _I think that you are the best husband ever." Peyton said coyly as she turned around and pulled him into a kiss._

" _I'm not letting you go, I love you!" Damon shouted as he tried to prevent her from falling into the vortex._

" _I love you to…which is why I'm telling you to let me go!" Peyton shouted over the roar of the vortex._

" _Promise me that our daughter won't grow up the way we did, that she'll grow up safe and loved by both her parents." Peyton demanded as they both stood over the sleeping Anna's crib._

" _If I have anything to say about it, she will grow up safe and loved by both of us." Damon promised her._

" _No matter what happens, I will always love you." Damon told her the last time they saw each other._

" _No matter what happens, I will always love you." Peyton told him emotionally._

Damon pulled the comet to a screeching spot at an overlooking hill. Damon got out of the car and slammed the door before he walked over to a small tree. Feeling his sorrow turn into rage that overtook his entire being, Damon punched the tree with enough force to break it in half, though it did little to quell Damon's anger. As the tree fell, Damon let out an enraged roar that echoed throughout the area. As Damon stood there, listening to the frightened scatter of animals, he heard some begin clapping. Turning around, he saw Owen, Stefan's boss behind him.

"Impressive display." Owen said as he gestured to the fallen tree.

"What are you doing here Owen?" Damon demanded not missing the fact that Owen wasn't surprised at Damon's unnatural revenge.

"You killed my brother." Owen said anger leaking through his voice.

"You're going to have to be more specific you Matt Donavan knock off, I've killed a lot of people." Damon said his patience thinning.

"Liam, Liam Davis was my half-brother," Owen explained seeming to get angrier, "you murdered him in cold blood."

"Technically, I just turned him into a transitioning Vampire; it was Julian who killed him." Damon said unapologetic for his actions.

"It doesn't matter, you did this to him." Owen snarled as he stepped closer to Damon.

"Liam chose his fate when he hooked up with Julian's crew. Your brother was no innocent victim; he practically stalked my girlfriend before kidnapping and torturing her. He was a chip right off Julian's block." Damon told Owen spitefully.

Giving Damon a hate filled glare, Owen said something Damon couldn't understand and the Vampire realized he could no longer move. As Damon tried to think of a way out of his predicament, Owen pulled out a gun, pointed it at Damon and fired. Damon expected to be hit in the chest, so he was surprised when the wooden bullet lodged itself painfully in his left shoulder. On the plus side, Owen's spell seemed to break as Damon fell to his knees, clutching his shoulder in pain.

"You're a lousy shot, Bar-Dick." Damon groaned.

"Oh, but I hit my target Damon," Owen said smugly as Damon looked at him bewildered, "you see, for the past eighteen days, I've been thinking of ways to get my revenge for my brother's death. At first, I was just gonna drive a stake through your heart one night when you were too drunk to defend yourself when Stefan or your friends weren't there to help. But then I thought why should I give you a quick death when I could make it long and painful? That wooden bullet in your shoulder is laced with Werewolf venom."

"It's what?" Damon asked in shock and dread as he began to feel the familiar feeling of a wolf's venom affecting his body.

"You have three days to live; I'd suggest you make the most of them." Owen said before he seemed to disappear.

 **How will Damon get out of this one? What will everyone's reaction be? Is Peyton really dead or is something else going on here? Why am I asking you all these questions? Please Review or PM me with any thoughts or comments you may have.**


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